What It Means To Have Friends Online
The development of information technology has made it possible to create new ways of communicating with and relating to others. Thanks to this, it is now easier to make friends online. Every day, more and more people use the internet to try to meet friends. However, most people also want to bring these friendships into the real world.
But can you establish and nurture a bond of friendship via the internet? Well, it is not always possible to give unambiguous answers. In this article, we discuss what it means to have friends online and whether those friends can be real.
Friends online – how do you define “friendship” today?
Friendship is a broad concept. Not all friendships look the same, not everyone is looking for the same kind of friendship or has the same values as everyone else. There are functional and dysfunctional friendships, and friendships that flourish depending on where they arise. Examples of the latter are seen in school and work environments.
Furthermore, there are friendships that are based on joy. These arise when the people in question experience mutual feelings of affection, respect and admiration. In such cases, the circumstances do not matter, as the persons decide to become friends on the basis of their feelings and not of their situations.
Therefore, it is impossible to start some friendships online. You can not embrace your friends online or go to a bar with them during the weekend. However, there are other aspects of friendship that can occur in online friendship relationships.
What are the characteristics of online friends?
Selfless friendships
The fact that there is no common ground that forces the parties to interact (which applies to families and co-workers), means that the relationship arises on a voluntary basis. And because of the geographical distances you can not meet either.
In other words, one can be sure that the other person is selfless and sincere. The friendship is based on genuine commitment. It can flourish thanks to the sharing of interests and values. Both parties choose to maintain the bond because it is enriching and satisfying.
Deep knowledge of each other
Having friends online requires a lot of writing. When you write, you have wonderful opportunities to express yourself and open up to each other. The written word requires more thought in order to choose the right words. And although the spoken word is more spontaneous, it is also faster, and therefore more superficial.
When you write, it helps you to get in touch with your emotions and to formulate them. In addition, you can take the time to appreciate what the other person is sharing with you.
An friendship via the internet can give you deep insights about the other person, and about yourself, and this creates an important emotional bond.
Friends online stands for loyalty, support and reliability
These are the basic elements of a friendship. And instead of being limited by the geographical distances, the relationship between friends online is growing stronger. In such friendships, both parties can share their experiences, fears and doubts. Because they have common interests and deep insights about each other, they understand each other and can give each other sincere and caring advice.
It makes people happy to know that someone is willing to invest part of their time in building a friendship with them. And this gesture means more when both parties live active lives far apart and still take the time to nurture this friendship.
In conclusion, it can be said that friendships online can never replace physical contact and shared experiences. But that does not stop you from sometimes meeting interesting friends online. Living at a long distance from each other is no reason to cut someone off from their life.
Although internet friendships may feel limited, this does not mean that they can not be enriching experiences. If there is affection, mutual respect and shared interests, and if both people appreciate each other as they are, then these friendships can lead to wonderful experiences.
